Traditional non-invasive blood pressure monitoring devices operate by inflating a blood pressure cuff to a pressure above a patient's systolic blood pressure. For example, many physicians obtain blood pressure readings using blood pressure devices, such as sphygmomanometers, that include one or more tubes connecting the cuff to an inflation and/or measurement device. Because the systolic pressure is usually not known prior to inflation, the cuff must be inflated to such a pressure to ensure that the patient's arterial blood flow is completely occluded. Once above systole, pressure data may be collected and the cuff may be slowly deflated to enable the flow of blood through the artery to resume. Pressure data may also be collected during inflation and/or deflation of the cuff, and the collected data may be used to determine, for example, an average blood pressure of the patient.
Known temperature measurement devices may also utilize non-intrusive methods to determine a surface temperature of the patient's skin and/or to estimate a core temperature of the patient. For example, infrared thermometers or other like devices may be employed to measure radiation emitted by the patient's skin and/or by one or more blood vessels disposed just below the skin. Such thermometers may then calculate and/or otherwise determine the patient's core temperature based on the level of radiation collected.
Recently, advancements have been made to blood pressure measurement devices, temperature measurement devices, and other like patient monitoring devices utilized in healthcare facilities. Despite these advancements, however, determining the blood pressure, temperature, and other like parameters of the patient (such as blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, etc.) can be time-consuming and relatively intrusive. For example, two or more of the above parameters are typically measured separately during customary patient intake procedures, and generally, separate dedicated measurement devices are used to measure each parameter. The separate measurement of these parameters can unnecessarily extend the length of patient visits and, in some cases, may be uncomfortable for the patient. Additionally, since such measurements are performed separately, the parameter values determined through such measurements are not utilized to increase the accuracy or reliability of the separate value determinations.
The systems and methods described herein are directed toward overcoming the deficiencies described above.